Gin and Lies
by CanadianChick07
Summary: Dawson comes over to Upton's house after her crappy week to give her some advice about the confession, the IA investigation and Ruzek. One shot.


Hailey Upton was on her second glass of gin and tonic when she heard a knock the door. She knew it wasn't Adam, because he wasn't coming over tonight, and she doubted it was Halstead because he would have undoubtedly texted her to tell her he was coming. And her list of friends these days outside of Chicago Police Department was pretty short.

She sighed as she got up, drink in hand, to open the door. Her mouth dropped a little when she saw Detective Antonio Dawson on the other side of the house. "Come in," she said, stepping back so he could come in.

He held up a bottle of gin. "I see you've already broken into the booze, but given your week, I'm sure you could always use more."

"Spoken like a true cop," Hailey replied as she led him to the kitchen and poured him a glass of gin. She knew he liked it on the rocks. She only knew this from a couple nights at Molly's and some heart to hearts with Sylvie Brett.

Dawson held up his glass silently and Hailey just nodded in agreement. "Came by to see how you're doing, but I think I get the picture."

"You didn't have to," she said as both of them sat on bar chairs around her huge island. "I'm good."

Dawson held up a hand. "We're not partners but that's bullshit and don't even bother lying to me."

Upton closed her eyes. "It sucks, it really sucks, then. I got a confession out of a kid who ended up being innocent and then he killed himself. How am I supposed to live with myself after that?"

"You're going to live with yourself because you're doing your job," Dawson replied.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me, and I'm not entirely sure I'm at that point yet. He killed himself today because of what I said to him."

Dawson took a sip of his drink. "You can't think like that. I have put an innocent person behind bars when every single shred of evidence points to them, they cop to it, and they didn't do it. It sucks. It's hard to understand why someone would willingly confess to something they didn't do."

"I pushed too hard."

"Whether you pushed too hard or didn't isn't up for negotiation or on the table for discussion. He made his decision to cop to something he didn't do. That's not on you, Hailey."

She closed her eyes. "I hit a weak spot."

"And I watched that confession before Voight and I turned it over to the ADA and I am not convinced that was a complete play on your part. That was not all an act."

She silently shook her head. She was impressed that Voight hadn't approached that subject on her, or maybe he had sent his number two to do it for him, she wasn't sure. "Did Voight send you here?"

Dawson laughed. "No. Hank Voight has his own way of caring about his detectives but showing up after hours to check on them after a bad day isn't something that he would do. Shit would have really had to have hit the fan for him to show up at my place after a rough day."

"I figured," Hailey said as she poured more gin and tonic water, although more gin than tonic, into her glass.

"You still didn't answer my question. It wasn't all a play."

Upton shook her head. "Some of it was true. There was abuse."

Dawson poured himself another glass of gin and started working on it. She admitted it, and he wasn't going to push. She'd say more if she wanted to or was read to say more. "Voight and I may have had our differences lately, especially about internal affairs, but Hailey Upton, for the love of God, stall them as long as possible on this one. I agree with Voight. Meet with your FOIP rep. You have a right to a lawyer, I know a lot of them thanks to my time at the DA's office."

"Yeah, I talked to my rep today. He said the same thing. They are gonna try and come down on me especially with past interrogations, like the one I was called in for with Lindsay, one week with Intelligence in."

Dawson shuddered. "Forgot about that one."

"He's positive about the whole thing. Probably the only one who is."

"Upton, you're strong. You'll get through this. But you can't freeze on a shoot like the one you did with the Alderman."

Upton looked at him. "Why are you calling my bluff on this?"

"Because Ruzek was looking out for you and bailed your ass out?!" Dawson said, drinking a little more. "I'm not blaming you, Hailey. You've been under a lot of stress with what went down and killing an alderman, even if he does have a gun in his hand is going to shine a huge light on you in front of IA but that's not the point. The point is, if he has a gun and he's about to shoot you- you shoot back."

"I know," Upton said silently.

"I've been a cop for a long time, I get it. I totally do. But having IA up your ass is not a reason to not shoot a suspect and I am only giving you this lecture because you do not want it from Voight."

Upton snickered. "Not at this time, I don't."

Dawson finished his gin. "I just came by to see how you're doing and give you advice on your IA investigation." As they were walking to the front door, he also added, "also to see if Ruzek was here."

Upton almost dropped her glass. "How'd you know?"

Dawson laughed. "Hailey Upton, I know you said you don't date within the district but where else are you going to meet a guy? That and I've been a cop for a long time, I can pick up on these things. You and Ruzek got to the crime scene at the same time. He covered for you today, you and him went undercover very convincingly last week. All starting to add up."

"It's nothing, Antonio. So, please don't say anything."

He laughed. "I won't. But you know Voight already knows you might as well fill out those HR forms already," he said as he closed the door.

She just downed the rest of her drink as she went back to her couch and picked up her phone and texted Ruzek to come over.


End file.
